BuxtonHunter
New Member
Any chance my CIR switch germinated Saturday when it was 85 degrees. I burnt down the field last fall and got a pretty solid kill on the Canary grass. I frost seeded the switch in February. The plan was to hit again with Glyphosate and Atrazine by the end of the month but I don't want to chance killing it. I'm North of Albia and 4 inch soil temps reached mid 50's for a very short while. My gut feeling is that I'm good but thought I'd ask the experts. You all have been a huge help/resource for information in the long term plan I have for our farm.
P.S. I would change my display name if I knew how I made this account a few years ago and haven't found how to change it yet. I'M NOT THE SKIP. Well not on here anyway.
P.S. I would change my display name if I knew how I made this account a few years ago and haven't found how to change it yet. I'M NOT THE SKIP. Well not on here anyway.
Ha, PM CentralIowa, Muddy or OneCam.
U r fine on your switch. 1 day of hot weather isn't doing much. Soil temps need to rise well into the 60's and it takes days and days of warm weather for it to catch up and hit that.
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Bullbuster
New Member
This is my first post so please bear with me. I have a farm in central Wisconsin and wish to improve the whitetail cover in several ways including with NWSG. I have read several pages of this thread and have learned a lot. After initially planning to plant a NWSG blend of big blue, IG, CIR switch and v. wild rye I am considering going with straight switch. Unfortunately we do not have a significant upland game bird population (other than turkeys) so my goal is to produce the most enticing all-season whitetail cover as possible. I plan to plant about 10 acres in an old corn field and 8 acres in adjacent lowland leaving about 65 acres of ag on the property with many foodplots. I do have a few questions:
1) Does anyone have a concern about tracts this size being too thick for the deer to use. Bear in mind the only walking we will have to do through this is following a blood trail or shed hunting.
2) Wisconsin is really tight about atrazine, for good reason. Can I substitute simizine for atrazine in the early administration with glypho?
3) Has anyone frost seeded switch into a stand of Egyptian Wheat in the winter? If so, would it be better to burn, roll, mow or leave the EW stubble the next spring? I know soybeans are the perfect precursor but the SG is being planted to serve the same purpose as the EW...visual screen. It will be 10' wide. Thanks
1) Does anyone have a concern about tracts this size being too thick for the deer to use. Bear in mind the only walking we will have to do through this is following a blood trail
or shed hunting.2) Wisconsin is really tight about atrazine, for good reason. Can I substitute simizine for atrazine in the early administration with glypho?
3) Has anyone frost seeded switch into a stand of Egyptian Wheat in the winter? If so, would it be better to burn, roll, mow or leave the EW stubble the next spring? I know soybeans are the perfect precursor but the SG is being planted to serve the same purpose as the EW...visual screen. It will be 10' wide. Thanks
This is my first post so please bear with me. I have a farm in central Wisconsin and wish to improve the whitetail cover in several ways including with NWSG. I have read several pages of this thread and have learned a lot. After initially planning to plant a NWSG blend of big blue, IG, CIR switch and v. wild rye I am considering going with straight switch. Unfortunately we do not have a significant upland game bird population (other than turkeys) so my goal is to produce the most enticing all-season whitetail cover as possible. I plan to plant about 10 acres in an old corn field and 8 acres in adjacent lowland leaving about 65 acres of ag on the property with many foodplots. I do have a few questions:
1) Does anyone have a concern about tracts this size being too thick for the deer to use. Bear in mind the only walking we will have to do through this is following a blood trail
2) Wisconsin is really tight about atrazine, for good reason. Can I substitute simizine for atrazine in the early administration with glypho?
3) Has anyone frost seeded switch into a stand of Egyptian Wheat in the winter? If so, would it be better to burn, roll, mow or leave the EW stubble the next spring? I know soybeans are the perfect precursor but the SG is being planted to serve the same purpose as the EW...visual screen. It will be 10' wide. Thanks
I won't get into detail but you are NOT going to make it too thick for deer, trust me on that one.
U could substitute simizine for atrazine. It does not work as well though. Why not use Atrazine? Even at legal limits or say you did 5 times the legal limit and broke the law (not advocating that) - you're spraying ONE TIME on such a small area that it essentially would have no impact. Compare that to your neighbors who spray 2.2 qts per acre on thousands of acres year after year. What you are doing is not the problem. Atrazine is a far better herbicide in my opinion and no way I'd go without it BUT you could sub for high doses of Simizine.
If you did into EW - you better burn if off somehow in like January. Basically, what I'm saying bottom line is.... You need to get rid of it before you frost seed the switch in February and I'd prefer to burn it before I put switch down. You can't leave it there & I would suggest not mowing it - both create a problem with having a lot of residual on top. The reason you use bean ground for Switch frost seeding - one of the reasons is the clean seed bed. The atrazine can make perfect soil contact with no trash on top. Lots of trash on top does not allow the atrazine to work properly. I mean, if you want to think outside the box.... Heck, I don't know, if you had to go the EW route- you could bail it so it's clean. Whatever the case, however you slice & dice it- frost seed in February & have a clean soil area where the atrazine can make excellent soil contact later.
dbltree
Super Moderator
Simazine may cause injury to switch seedlings so keep that in mind.
You can also use 4 ounces Panoramic and clip weeds as needed or simply mow weeds 8-12" high the first year.
Atrazine works best but requires a license to purchase so it's not for everyone
Check with your local co-op, they may spray for you
You can also use 4 ounces Panoramic and clip weeds as needed or simply mow weeds 8-12" high the first year.
Atrazine works best but requires a license to purchase so it's not for everyone
Check with your local co-op, they may spray for you
Bullbuster
New Member
Thanks Sligh1 & dbltree. I can & will have atrazine applied legally. I will also go straight SG but may mix CIR with Kanlo in my lower peat site as it can get pretty wet. I figure then it will be survival of the fittest. CIR is better suited for the north while Kanlo is supposed to tolerate wet areas better.
I will also take your advice on the SG strips surrounding our comercial ag fields. I will encircle them in a 10-12' strip of soybeans and frost seed per recommendation. Plus the deer will love going through the ring of beans to get to the farmer's corn!
I will also take your advice on the SG strips surrounding our comercial ag fields. I will encircle them in a 10-12' strip of soybeans and frost seed per recommendation. Plus the deer will love going through the ring of beans to get to the farmer's corn!
northcedar
Well-Known Member
I bushhogged 7 acres of pasture last summer. Sprayed in the fall with Gly 3 times and had Oust mixed in once. Hand spread 8lbs of CIR and 2lbs Kanlow in March. I'm planning on spraying 4qts atrazine this weekend. I was checking the plot yesterday, and while it's very well nuked, I'm discouraged by how much residue/trash is covering the soil. I have to poke my finger through 1-2" of residue just to scratch soil. Even though we had several late winter early spring rains, is there any chance at all that my seed is where it's supposed to be? Secondly, is it still wise to spray the atrazine when I have no bare soil?
dbltree
Super Moderator
Rains will work seed thru thatch, and to some extent the same with Atrazine, however it does work better on a clean surface.
90% of switch is frost seeded into killed sod that leaves the same thatch you have and all are successful so I wouldn't worry about it.
dbltree
Super Moderator
April 20, 2014
Fred sent in some pics of his new switch grass seeding prep work, very well thought out and exactly the way it should be done.
He prepared by mowing late last summer, waiting for regrowth then spraying with glyphosate and SFM-75 ( Oust XP), then dormant seeded this past winter.
This spring he sprayed with Atrazine and put in green firebreak's
You can see there is not so much as a blade of grass growing now!! Oust is wicked deadly on grasses and many broadleaf weeds, but it MUST be applied a minimum of 3 months prior to germination of switchgrass!
Oust provides residual control into early summer and Atrazine pretty much all summer but NEVER apply Oust in the spring of seeding year. Note the heavy trash, thatch covering the soil... this is no problem at all because snow and rain will work seeds to the soil and the mulch will protect tiny seedlings from drying out.
This isn't Fred's first rodeo, I've previously shared pictures of Fred's mature switch planted via dormant seeding :way:
Have a blessed Easter!
Fred sent in some pics of his new switch grass seeding prep work, very well thought out and exactly the way it should be done.
He prepared by mowing late last summer, waiting for regrowth then spraying with glyphosate and SFM-75 ( Oust XP), then dormant seeded this past winter.
This spring he sprayed with Atrazine and put in green firebreak's
You can see there is not so much as a blade of grass growing now!! Oust is wicked deadly on grasses and many broadleaf weeds, but it MUST be applied a minimum of 3 months prior to germination of switchgrass!
Oust provides residual control into early summer and Atrazine pretty much all summer but NEVER apply Oust in the spring of seeding year. Note the heavy trash, thatch covering the soil... this is no problem at all because snow and rain will work seeds to the soil and the mulch will protect tiny seedlings from drying out.
This isn't Fred's first rodeo, I've previously shared pictures of Fred's mature switch planted via dormant seeding :way:
Have a blessed Easter!
northcedar
Well-Known Member
Looks like some great switch in the background of that 2nd pic?
Thank you Dbltree, and happy Easter to you!
Thank you Dbltree, and happy Easter to you!
dbltree
Super Moderator
It's important to remember that at lower soil and air temperatures
, switchgrass may germinate but it could take 10-21 days to emerge so germination and emergence are two very different things with lots of variables. Typically emergence is around May 10th in central and southern Iowa but knowing that weather varies widely from year to year I wouldn't want to spray gly on May 9th
Typically air temperatures should stay in 70-80 degree range for a week or more with plentiful soil moisture to get emergence. Keep those things in mind when deciding when to spray.
Use sites like this to monitor soil temperatures Iowa soil temperatures
medicsnoke
Member
I bought a switch grass blend (shelter, caven rock and blackwell) from ernst seed company a few weeks ago. Rented the drill today from the local soil and water. They did not offer much advise on setting up the drill.
I bought seeds to plant 3 acres @ 6 lbs. an acre. Anyone have a suggestion on where to put the plant setting? Soil and water guessed @35. The only paper work they gave me is this generic sheet that suggest 10 lbs. acre set @ 50 for switchgrasses.
Great Plains solid stand 7' no-till planter
I bought seeds to plant 3 acres @ 6 lbs. an acre. Anyone have a suggestion on where to put the plant setting? Soil and water guessed @35. The only paper work they gave me is this generic sheet that suggest 10 lbs. acre set @ 50 for switchgrasses.
Great Plains solid stand 7' no-till planter
medicsnoke
Member
For my sanity please don't tell me I got raked over coals on this seed
Daver
PMA Member
Me too, gly and atrazine. I am almost 100% sure we are golden still at this time. But I have been wrong before.
Seriously, soil temps and air temps are running behind schedule this year and in an average year, May 10th, plus or minus, is the date to beat. Unless things warm up a lot soon, I suspect that the warm season grasses may get going after that date this year.
At any rate, I am very confident that this weekend will be fine.